A revolutionary vaccine – LA NACION

One of the leading causes of death during the first year of life is acute respiratory infection, known as bronchiolitiscaused by Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). As expected, its incidence is greatest in autumn and winter. In developing countries, half of infected children die silently at home without treatment, while others saturate health services and intensive care.

The Ministry of Health of the Nation reported in his Epidemiological Bulletin which, in 2022, we had 173,723 cases of bronchiolitis. We are talking about 20,000 hospitalizations and 600 deaths.

It is for all this that the international community is celebrating these days the results achieved by Phase III of the clinical trial on a maternal vaccine against bronchiolitis. The protection achieved exceeds 80% in the first 90 days of life, a result as conclusive as it is revolutionary that will undoubtedly change the course of pediatric disease.. the American laboratory Pfizer He anticipated that the results will soon be published in a scientific journal and that the approval procedures in regulatory bodies at different levels will be completed in the coming months.

The vaccine is aimed at pregnant women, such as flu or whooping cough, to deliver antibodies to the baby through the placenta. The clinical trial included 7,400 pregnant women under the age of 49 from 18 countries. From Argentina there were 920 volunteers. The follow-up of the newborns lasted one year, and for some it will be extended to two.

The impact of this news on the health of the population is enormous. The reduction of severe bronchiolitis in newborns by 80% in the first three months and by almost 70% up to six months radically changes the pediatric healthcare scenario. We celebrate this new scientific milestone in respiratory virus vaccine research.

THE NATION